


Hopes, Dreams, and Future Schemes

by JessieLightyear



Category: Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)
Genre: AU, Angst, F/M, Family, Fluff, Future Fic, The Once and Future Thing, Time Travel, cause Batman, episode rewrite, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-01-22 05:58:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12474996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessieLightyear/pseuds/JessieLightyear
Summary: It's been done a million times, but who doesn't love a good rewrite of The Once and Future Thing. This time there's one other future League Member for Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern to meet. This girl could mean the salvation of the world as we know it, or the end of it.





	1. Chapter One

Terry punched in code and the wall slid open slowly. The two leagues entered and Terry closed the door behind them.

            “Where are we?” Batman asked.

            “This is the new league headquarters.” Terry said. “You’ve travelled about 50 years into the future.”

            “The watchtower?”

            “Gone. We lost a lot of good people that day.” Static said with a sigh. “Thankfully we had some new heroes to step up. You should be proud of him, John.” Warhawk took off his helmet. He smiled at the Green Lantern and extended his hand.

            “This is a little weird for everyone….I’m Warhawk, Rex Stewart.” John shook his hand.

            “Your mother, who is she?”

            “Kind of obvious, don’t you think.”

            “Even if it isn’t, leave it be. You don’t want to know too much about your own future.” Batman said. Static chuckled and chimed in.

            “Shayera was one cranky pregnant lady. Although to be fair, if I’d laid an egg that size-” Rex interrupted.

            “He’s joking Dad.”  They were interrupted by someone shouting from a hallway.

            “Rex Steward, you’re a dead man!”

            “Speaking of cranky pregnant ladies” Static muttered

            “We might want to give them a minute.” The younger Batman said. A woman with dark black hair and bright blue eyes came stomping down the hall. She was wearing a soft blue bathrobe, but that couldn’t hide the fact that she was very pregnant and she was clearly angry.

            “Terry, why don’t you stay for a minute? You might be able to explain something to me. Like why my dear husband thought he could just get up and leave in the middle of the night.” She said crossing her arms.

            “Now come on babe”

            “No! You don’t get to ‘come on babe’ me. I woke up and you were gone! I thought you had flashed out of existence!”

            “I didn’t want to wake you up.”

            “So you decided to just let me wake up without you?”

            “I thought we’d be back before then.” The woman’s face fell.

            “Rex… you were gone.” He moved toward her and held her tightly. The others walked away, giving the couple a few moments alone.

            “Who’s that?” Diana asked.

            “Her name is Meg.” A voice from the shadows said. The chair in front of the monitors turned to reveal an old man. “You don’t really need to know anymore and we need to figure out how to fix this.” The old man stood up and Batman walked toward him.

            “Surprised to see me?”

            “A little… I’m more surprised I lived this long.” Terry stepped up, a smirked almost visible under his mask.  

            “Batman, Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne, Batman or have you met?”

            “Not now!” Both men snapped at him.

            “Geez, what did they used to call it stereo?” Bruce sat back down. Rex and his wife had walked back to over to join the League. Meg moved toward a second computer chair next to Bruce’s.

            “The timeline’s grown more fluid than ever.” She said. “I had another big jump today.”

            “How far along are you?” Terry asked. She ran her hand over her belly.

            “Maybe… eight, eight and a half months along. Hopefully I actually have this baby this time.”

            “What do you mean?” Diana asked.

            “Oh well I’ve actually been pregnant for almost a year now. With the time shifts and everything I’ve spent most of that time in the first trimester.” The younger woman smiled up at the Amazon. “I’m Meg by the way or Pheonix when I’m not incredibly pregnant.” Wonder Woman smiled at her and extended her hand.

            “Diana”

            “I know who you are” Diana dropped her hand and raised an eyebrow. Meg cleared her throat. “I mean, you’re Wonder Woman. Even now you… you were a fantastic hero.”

            “Were?”  

            “I-” Meg turned to Bruce “You didn’t tell her?”

            “She didn’t need to know.”

            “She deserves to know.”

            “You don’t want to know too much about your own future.” Terry chimed in.

            “Stay out of this Terry.” Meg snapped then turned toward Bruce again. “With how messed up the timeline is you think this is going to make a difference. How can you not tell her?”

            “Tell me what?” Diana finally asked. Bruce and Meg both got quiet. The two locked eyes, a silent conversation happening between them before Meg finally spoke up.

            “You died.” She spun the computer chair around until she was looking at John and Diana. “You two, you both died the day the Watchtower fell.” Rex put his hand on her shoulder and she squeezed it. “We lost most of the league that day.” A silence fell over the team. Static cleared his throat and spoke up.

            “It’s alright. We’re going to fix this.” Static said. “After all, we’ve already won.  How’d you do it last time Bats?”

            “What?” Batman asked.

            “No, old Bats. If you’re here and young Bats is here we must have already won.”

            “Flawless logic, except I don’t remember going to the future and meeting my older self or anything else that’s happened today.”

            “The time line must be in too much flux, otherwise you two would sync up.” Meg said.

            “We better compare notes.” Diana said.

* * *

Diana, John, and Batman quickly went through the events of the Old West, filling the new League in on David’s background.

            “We don’t know much about him.” Terry said. “Obviously he’s a time traveling warlord. He’s riddled the streets with buildings he’s stolen from other time periods.”

            “He’s not a war lord, at least he wasn’t at first. When we chased him to the Old West, all he was stealing was historical trinkets.” Diana said.

            “That’s even worse, it seems now he’s got something to prove.” Meg said.

            “Regardless, he’s causing severe damage to the space time continuum. The degradation is increasing exponentially.” Bruce said adding what they had told him about Chronos in the Old West to his predictive algorithms.

            “Batman, I want to you look at this.” Meg said pulling up some code. “I’ve been working on some way to stop Chronos from time jumping in the first place, but without a good look at his tech, I really can’t finish it. Think you could fill in the blanks?” Batman moved over to the second monitor and Meg rolled away from it.

            “I got a good look at his time belt while we were in the Old West.” Batman said. “I think I can finish this program.”

            “Then all we have to do it upload it to his belt.” Meg said and groaned. “Sweat goddess, I think they’re twins now.” Rex came over to rub her shoulders. “Thanks.” Diana looked at the computer while Batman wrote code and then down at Meg who was biting her lip.

            “Are you alright?” She asked. Meg nodded.

            “The little… _angels_ think Mommy’s kidneys are trampolines.”

            “You really think it’s twins?” Rex asked.

            “Either that or one baby with wings and I don’t know which feels worse.” Diana stepped forward and held out her hand.

            “May I?” Meg nodded and Diana set her hand against Meg’s stomach and gasped.

            “She kicked me.” The Princess whispered. Meg chuckled.

            “She’ll do that. Doesn’t matter how many shifts we go though, boy or girl, solo or twins, heck human or thanegarian, the kid always knows how to land a punch.”

            “Given our family history, I don’t think you should be that surprised.” Rex said. Meg laughed.

            “I blame your mother.”

            “I blame yours.” Rex teased. Meg rolled her eyes and Rex leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

            “Congratulations.” Diana said as she stood back up. Meg swallowed and met Diana’s eyes. The younger woman let out a shaky.

            “Thank you I, thank you.” 

            “I’ve got something.” Batman said, ending the moment. He held up a CD that had been ejected by the computer. “This should shut down his device.”

            “If we can get out hands on the belt, we might be able to stop all of this from happening.” Diana noted, but her sentence started to fade. Her voice sounded like an old radio when you don’t have it tuned right; her body became transparent. “We could even undo the deaths of your friends.” And then she was gone, Batman jumped toward where her body had just vanished from.

            “Diana!” It was quiet for a moment. 

            “She never left the island” Batman said.

            “Or, she was never born” Bruce finished. A clatter came from the second monitor and Rex shouted.

            “Meg!” Everyone turned to see that Meg had fallen to the ground, suddenly sweating.

            “Oh no” She whispered as she started… glitching.

~*~ ~End of Chapter One~ ~*~


	2. Chapter Two

Diana had slowly faded out, but Meg was flickering in and out of existence. Some moments she was there entirely, others she was completely transparent. Rex scooped her into his arms, carrying her over to an examination table and laying here there. Meg was squirming and groaning. The pregnant belly that once would have prevented this movement was gone. While Rex carried her, Bruce got a first aid kit from under the computer desk and limped to her side. Rex moved toward her head, holding her down at her shoulders while Bruce brought a stethoscope to her heart.

            “What do you think?” Static asked. Bruce pulled the stethoscope away from her chest.

            “I don’t know!” Bruce snapped at Static. “There’s no… I have no idea what this could mean for her. She may be fine or she may disappear in the next few minutes. It’s hard to say right now.”

            “Dad, Dad please come back! Rex, where are you?” She screamed thrashing around. “Dad! Rex! No please, don’t” Rex pushed down more firmly, but still trying not to hurt her. Bruce ran his hand though her hair, trying to help calm her down.

            “What’s going on?” John asked. He and Batman were standing a few feet away, trying to stay out of the way.

            “Her entire past is being rewritten, right down to her genetic structure.” Terry answered as he ran down the hallway off the side of the office.

            “Why?” John asked.

            “Her mother was just erased from history. At any second now she could completely disappear.” Static said. Batman turned to watch the League move around her.

            “Her mother?”  He asked. Static nodded.

            “Diana is, was her mother. Tenses are weird.”

            “And her father?” John asked. Static turned toward the table where Bruce was kneeling next to her. It seemed like he’d completely forgotten about his bad knee as he held her hand. John smirked and gave Batman an ‘I told you so’ look.

            “We’ve got a problem. I can’t find any of her things.” Terry said. “At least, none of the stuff Diana gave her.”

            “None of it?” Bruce asked.

            “The blanket, the pillows, even the pictures are gone. If she doesn’t snap out of this soon, she’s going to disappear.”

            “How can she stop it? Her mother doesn’t exist anymore.” John asked.

            “Time’s fluid, remember? She hasn’t disappeared yet so if she fights hard enough, she just might force herself back into the timeline.” Bruce said turned back to the girl. She’d gone quiet, still squirming but now only whimpering instead of screaming. Rex had let go of her shoulders, and was now standing on one side of the table holding her hand. Bruce still hadn’t moved from his kneeling position. “Come on princess” He whispered, pushing her hair off her face. Terry brought a chair over to the table, giving Bruce a place to sit, then squeezed Bruce’s shoulder.

            “She’s going to be alright, she’s always been a fighter.” Terry said.

            “We need to find Chronos.” Bruce said.

            “How? He could be anywhere.” Static asked. Batman turned and walked toward the exit.

            “It’s not going to work. You don’t know your way around here. A lot of things have changed.” Terry warned him.

            “Are criminals still superstitious and cowardly?” Batman asked.

            “Yes.” His older self answered, without turning around.

            “Good enough for me” and with that Batman left

* * *

             He leapt across the buildings, patrolling. It wasn’t his Gotham, but it was a Gotham and that was good enough for him. He sat on a random rooftop thinking about everything he’d seen today. Seeing himself, the older him, kneel over this girl, this girl who he clearly loved so much… and both he and the other him had reacted when Diana disappeared. He hadn’t reacted to anyone like that since Tim’s encounter with Joker. A crackle over the comms link in his ear brought him out of his thoughts.

            “Strange isn’t it?”

            “How’d you get in here?”

            “I’m you, remember.” A silence fell between the two men before the younger Batman broke it.

            “What’s strange?”

            “How quickly you get attached to her.”

            “Are you talking about Diana or Meg?”

            “Does it matter?”

            “One of them is my teammate; the other is a girl from the future who might be my daughter. I’d say it matters.” Bruce chuckled.

            “You know when we brought her home I was terrified. It didn’t make sense, I’d held infants before and taken care of children before, but she was different. She was both terrifyingly strong and tiny.”

            “Why are you telling me this?”

            “Because you’re miserable right now”

            “So are you”

            “Actually, I’m not… as much. She’s awake now.”

            “Congratulations”

            “She wants to talk to you.”

            “I don’t-” But it seemed he had no choice.

            “Bruce” She said over the com link. “Don’t be scared.”

            “Scared of what?” She scoffed.

            “I might be your child, but I’m not a child. We both know what you’re scared of.”  
            “You don’t know me.”

            “True, I don’t know you…. the Bruce Wayne I know is disguised as Batman and you’re a Batman disguised as Bruce Wayne. You’re not my dad, not yet. Not till you accept that you love… that you love…” She started gasping again and could barely make out here words.

            “What’s going on?” Batman asked, but no one was listening to him.

            “Meg” The sound came through, muffled like it had fallen into a pillow or something.  

            “What’s happening to me?” She asked, just barely being picked up on the radio. “I can’t… I know I should remember things, but I can’t remember her. The… the something it was like home and she… Dad I can’t remember”

            “Princess, there’s only three things you need to remember. Three things you need to hold onto. Say it with me.” Meg took a deep breath. “I love you.”

            “You love me.” She said clearly.

            “She loves you.”

            “She love me.” This was shaky, like Meg could barely form the sentence.

            “You are stronger than this.”

            “I am stronger than this.” Meg took a few deep breaths, quietly muttering to herself. Batman closed out the communication line, letting father and daughter have their space.

            “This isn’t helping her you know.” Terry said from behind him. Batman was careful not to let the surprise show in his stance. “Standing here on a rooftop, it’s not helping her or Diana.”

            “It’s helping me think.” Batman countered.

            “Except you’re not thinking straight, you never could when it concerned either of them.”

            “I don’t even know that girl.”

            “Her name is Meg.” Terry said. “It’s short for Margaret Martha Wayne. She’s 27 years old, a little younger than me. She’s obsessed with John Wayne movies and likes to pretend she’s related to him. She’s got an iron will that puts yours to the test. Not that she needs to use it on you, you’ve always have a soft spot for her. When she was 7, she asked you for a puppy and you got her three because she wanted all of them to have good homes. Of course you made her take care of all of them. She’s headstrong and angry, has a temper that scares Superman sometimes, but she knows how to channel. You taught her how to. She’s someone you want by your side in a fight because she will defend you until she can’t anymore. She’s a wife, a daughter, a sister, a teammate. Meg’s brave, smart, loving, and a very, very important woman. So get your head in the game.” Batman stared at Terry for a moment.

            “You really care about her… don’t you?”

            “Like I said, she’s a sister, my sister.”

            “I have two kids?”

            “I thought you didn’t want to know about your future.” Terry said with a grin. Batman turned away again. “Look, are you going to help or are you going to sit up here brooding till the end of the universe?” Batman looked out at the city.

            “My brooding might just help you.” He said.

            “What do you mean?”

            “I’ve got a plan.”

 

~*~ ~End of Chapter 2~ ~*~


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time's running out for Meg and the universe. The League's goal is simple. Find Chronos and fix this.

            Batman exhaled when he heard footsteps land on the roof. As they moved toward him, he stood up to face the visitor.

            “You’re supposed to be the real Batman, I mean the first one. I’ve seen history cubes about you.” His gray arm rotated into a buzz saw appendage. “Hard to believe someone stupid as you ever beat the Joker.”

            “Maybe I’m smarter than I look.” Ghoul rushed toward Batman, buzz saw raised high. The power tool gave Static and easy target and Ghoul was quickly brought down by the electric shock. By the time Ghoul recovered, Green Lantern, Warhawk, and Static had all landed. Terry stepped out from behind the rooftop door.

            “You’ve got some information we need Ghoul.” The younger Batman said.

            “You won’t find me the talkative sort.” Terry grabbed Ghoul by the leg.

            “Where’s Chronos, my arm’s getting tired.” Bruce’s voice cut into Batman’s comm.

            “The boy’s too green for this.” The old man cut in. Batman stayed silence and watched as Terry dropped his arm, trying to scare Ghoul into talking with the fake fall. “You know the best way to get answers from him.” Batman continued to ignore him. Terry let go, but not before Warhawk moved into position to catch him and bring him back up to the roof. “It’s the only way to save the princess.” The mention of Diana made something in Batman’s mind snap. He went over and grabbed Ghoul by the collar of his shirt and threw him across the roof.

            “You two are far too green for this.” He turned to see Ghoul getting up on his hands and knees. “This is how you interrogate someone.”

* * *

 

            It took 37 seconds for Batman to convince Ghoul to be helpful. About 10 seconds less than Green Lantern would have guessed. Ghoul hadn’t stopped talking since then, spilling information about troop units and movements, command leaders, heists that were currently being planned everything. He finally reached information about Chronos, John’s ears perked up.

            “I don’t know where Chronos is. He contacts us. He spends every night in a different one of those buildings. There’s no way of knowing ahead of time where he’s going to be. And that’s everything I know.” Batman leaned in.

            “Everything?”

            “I wet my bed until I was 14.” John suppressed a chuckle.

            “Losing my patience.” Terry put his hand on the Dark Knight’s shoulder, pulling him back.

            “I can’t control him much longer. You better give us something we can use.”

            “Wow, Batman playing good cop.” Static muttered to John.

            “Everything’s relative.” John pointed out. Static smiled and put his hand on John’s shoulder.

            “It’s good to have you back.”

            “With any luck, we’ll fix this and I’ll still be around to whip your ass in line 50 years from now.”

            “Good luck with that Gramps.” John sighed, still trying to wrap his mind around having not only a son, but a grandkid too.

            “You two ready?” Terry asked. “We’ve got our location." 

* * *

 

            The green bubble carrying the League landed outside the Titanic, where Ghoul had told them they’d find Edith. Edith would lead them to David. The bubble faded and the heroes spread out.

            “What are you doing here?” Batman asked. A sigh came from near the door and a shadow stepped forward. Warhawk grinned.

            “Batman, Green Lantern meet Phoenix.”

            Phoenix was a warrior. Her armor was clearly inspired by her mother’s, but the coloring was entirely her father. A golden tiara sat on her forehead with a matching belt hanging on her waist. Her breastplate was black where Diana’s had been red with a large gold bird emblazoned on her chest. Black armor covered her arms with golden bracelets on her wrists. Black leggings covered her legs and she wore boots with a little heal like her mother had with black and gold coloring. She didn’t wear a mask, but she wore a black cape like her father. She wore a black choker with a gold stone in the center. Physically, she looked nothing like Meg. Phoenix had long blond hair and brown eyes. Her nose looked longer and she had a scar on her cheek. She was clearly a fearsome hero. She stood there strong and bold like a demon of justice, an angel of vengeance. 

She locked eyes with Batman. “I’m finishing the mission.” She said simply.

            “You should-” she snapped at him.

            “What? Go home. I need to be here.” She took a breath, centering herself. “I don’t remember her, but I remember she was brave and kind and that she would be here.”

            “Yes, she would be.” Batman answered. Phoenix gave him a small smile.

            “Then I should be here. I am a protector of Man’s world and my place is here.” Batman nodded.

            “How are you doing this?” He asked. She pointed to her necklace.

            “Blessed by the gods, it’s easier than trying to keep one of those domino masks on your face.” Terry stepped forward, standing next to her.

            “I’m assuming the old man caught you up on everything?” She nodded.

            “This is your lead. How are we doing this?”

            “Simple, get to his wife.” Phoenix smirked.

            “I can do that.”

            “Static, lay down some fireworks.” Terry said. Static took to the air and electrocuted the two guards who were standing out there. Each of them buzzed before toppling over.

            “We’ve got drones!” He announced.

            “Perfect.” Terry said. “Let’s take them out.” The attack on the perimeter had drawn the attention of other guards in the building, but the drones were no match for six members of the Justice League. It wasn’t long before they made it inside. The stream of droids coming from one of the hallways gave them a path to where Edith was staying. The League made it to a set of large double doors. Phoenix and Warhawk each stepped forward and punched the doors. The doors crumbled beneath their combined strength and showed the large bedroom. Green Lantern stepped into the room.

            “Edith Clinton.” Suddenly he shimmered and a brown hair man was left behind. “We’ve got business with your husband.” Everyone looked at him for a moment. “What?”

            “John?” Static asked.

            “Hal Jordan, another time shift. I’m up to speed, carry on.” Phoenix flew over to Warhawk.

            “Are you okay?” She asked quietly. He nodded.

            “Looks like my dad just got assigned somewhere else. I’m okay. Are you?”

            “Don’t ask.” She said. “The more I think about the fact I’m a paradox, the harder it is to stay solid.”

            “This is starting to give me a migraine.” Terry complained.

            “Oh boo hoo, you have a migraine. I have 23 chromosomes!” Pheonix shot back.

            “Why is it always a contest with you?”

            “Because I can always win.” She smirked.

            “You have a clear unfair advantage.”

            “Don’t get jealous Bats.”

            “Enough.” Batman said, silencing both of them. “We have bigger things to focus on than your bickering. This is going to get worse before it gets better. Anyone of us could change or even cease to exist.” Batman said.

            “That’s why you need to tell us where he is.” Hal said to Edith. “We just want to undo the harm he’s caused. You have my word. We’ll do everything in our power to keep from hurting him.” Phoenix scoffed.

            “Yeah you might.” Edith looked past Green Lantern to the woman in black.

            “Between you and me, I wouldn’t mind one bit if he got a little roughed up.” Phoenix grinned and move so she was sitting on the bed with Edith.

            “Then tell us where he is. I promise, we’ll make him answer for everything he’s done to you and your mother.”

            “How do you know about-”

            “He’s not very subtle.” Terry answered. Phoenix gave him a look to get him to back off.

            “Where is he tonight? The Parthenon, the sphinx?” Edith rolled her eyes.

            “He just wants everyone to think he moves around. He always sleeps in the same place.”

            “Then take us to him and I promise I’ll set him up for you to sucker punch that I know you want to give him.” Edith smirked and stood up from the bed.

            “Let’s go get him.”

* * *

 

            With Edith’s directions, the made their way to a large Roman colosseum. In the center was the Old West jailhouse they had first met David. When the bubble popped, Phoenix stepped toward the building.

            “Who’s taking lead?” She asked.

            “You got us here, it’s your call.” Terry said. She nodded.

            “Lantern, check for bobby traps.” The Green Lantern scanned the old building with his ring.

            “No booby traps.” He said, then he shimmered leaving behind John Steward. “At least none that my ring can detect.”

            “Make up your mind” Static said.

            “Sorry, we’re good to go Phoenix.” She nodded and scanned the building for all entry and exit points.

            “If we don’t beat this guy. It’s the end of everything.” Rex said.

            “We’ve been there before.” Terry countered.

            “Not like this. What are you supposed to do when you have the weight of the world on your shoulders?” On one side, his wife took his hand. On the other, his father put a hand on his shoulder.

            “Plant your feet.” The Green Lantern said.  The heroes stood there for a moment before Phoenix spoke up.

            “There’s one door and several windows he could use as entry and exit points. Not to mention the time belt itself. Bats, inside. Lantern, watch the sky. Static, watch the entry points and light him up if he comes out. Warhawk, watch Static’s back.”  Phoenix ordered. The heroes split up. Phoenix took the lead with a Batman on either side of her, flanking her. Edith followed behind the three of them.

            “How’s it feel to be back in the field?” Terry asked.

            “Ask me after this.” Phoenix muttered as they made their way to the back cells. She knelt down and picked the lock on the cell. The door swung open and they walked inside.

            “Why do you think he stays here?” Phoenix asked.

            “Because a loser with a kingdom is still just a loser!” Edith said, pushing her way through. She blanket off him to reveal the time menice asleep and sucking his thumb. The sudden change in light and noise woke him up.

            “What I…” Chronos jumped up, quickly taking in his surroundings. “Well well well” he said and opened a time portal. He jumped through and quickly closed it.

            “Nice going lady!” Terry said, pushing Edith back. The Bats ran out

            “Be advised, Chronos is going for backup.” Phoenix called out over comms. By the time the Bats had made it out, Chronos had returned with solders from several different time periods and the Jokerz gang. Static was nowhere to be seen, but Lantern and Warhawk were holding their own in the sky. Terry activated his suit and flew to the other side of the arena, toward a group of World War Two solders. Phoenix turned, standing back to back with Batman.

            Though he’d never fought with her, it was obvious he trained her. There was a bond, a connection. She moved left when he went right, she flew when he took the ground, she was a mirror to him. he couldn't always predict her movements, but she knew how to move with him. They fought as one unit, holding their own against the Jokerz Gang. Terry was making his way back toward them when one of the DeeDee’s got her whip around Batman’s waist. DeeDee activated the whip and Terry’s screams were heard over the comms link.

            “Batman!” Phoenix flew over to him and took out one of the DeeDee’s but four others were attacking him. With their electric whips wrapped around his limbs, they pulled until the screaming stopped. The four women cackled until one of them was knocked out cold Phoenix.  

            With his partner gone, Batman was left to defend himself. He held his own against the simple solders until Bonk came up from behind him and slammed his hammer shaped fist into the Dark Knight’s back. Batman flew toward, catching himself on his hands and rolled out of the way of a second punch.  Bonk grabbed at the cape and Batman swept it away. With his left hand, Batman threw a smoke bomb at the clown. Bonk caught it and crushed it in his hand, causing smoke to go everywhere. He screamed and charged out of the cloud, grabbing Batman by the waist and tackling him to the ground.

            “You know, they used to say you were a demon… you’re just an old man playing dress up.” Bonk said. He grabbed the Dark Knight’s arm and started twisting it at the wrist. Batman groaned as the bones twisted out of shape. His free hand fumbled around the exposed part of his belt when suddenly the pale white face above him disappeared. Batman pushed himself up using his good wrist. Phoenix had knocked Bonk into a nearby wall. 

            “Are you alright?” Phoenix asked. Batman reached to one of the pockets in his belt. He pulled out a piece of a broken disk. Phoenix reached into her own belt and pulled out a second disk.

            “Daughter of the Bat” She handed it over to him. “End this. Bring her back.” Batman took the disk and nodded. Their eyes met; so much still to be said and so much not needed. The world around the was glowing as the evidence of time collapsing in on itself filled the sky. “There are three thing you need to remember.” Phoenix said before flying off to join Warhawk. Batman turned around and saw Chronos next to Edith.

          “You’ll love me next time!” Chronos cried out to his wife and opened another time portal.

            “Lantern!” Batman called out and pointed to the new time portal. John turned around and saw where Chronos was going. He scooped Batman up and the two of them flew in after him.

            “ _End this. Bring her back.”_ Echoed in Batman’s mind as the portal closed behind them.  

 

~*~ ~End of Chapter Three~ ~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys this is the final chapter having to do with Once and Future Thing. Next week will be the final chapter of the story and then I might do a little epilogue bit that I've been working on, but I'm not sure yet. Let me know if you'd be interested


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Batman has returned to his present with a lot to think about in his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a day late because of some school stuff. Hope you guys enjoy it! I do have a little epilogue for after this that I'll release on Friday to celebrate the Justice League movie. Anyway, enjoy!

            It was Thursday evening, the first Thursday since the time traveling mission. Every Thursday before going on patrol he came by to remember what started this all. Alfred pulled up to the cemetery and parked the car on the cul de sac at the entrance.

            “Would you like me to accompany you sir?” He asked.

            “No, thank you Alfred.”

            “Very well sir.” Alfred replied. Bruce stepped out of the car, holding a dozen roses. He walked through the familiar path to the graves of Thomas and Martha Wayne. When he got there, someone else was waiting for him.

Margaret Martha Wayne was kneeling there, possibly praying even; a simple woman at the grave of grandparents she never knew. She seemed… softer than he had seen her. She wasn’t pregnant this time, wasn’t fiercely protecting her small child. She wasn’t Phoenix, ready to fly into battle to protect the innocent. She turned to face him as he got closer. She smiled at him, but didn’t say anything.

            “Who are you?” He asked.

            “My name is Meg” She said then turned back to the cold stones in front of her. She leaned forward and kissed each of them lightly before standing up. Bruce saw a bouquet of white roses sitting across the graves. “But you already know don’t you? You don’t have to pretend you don’t know me.  She told me what happened, in that other place.”

            “What?”

            “I,” Meg pulled out a computer disk. “I found this on my desk. It was a recording of me from… another timeline. She told me what happened in that timeline, told me to tell you that she added a stop on Chronos’s timebelt. Told me a lot of things that only kind of make sense.” Batman took the disk and examined each side.

            “Why are you here then?” Meg laughed lightly.

            “I don’t know exactly. I’ve had that disk for almost a year now but… I finally I had to come here. Still don’t know if I was the right call. Normally I would talk to my family about this but it didn’t seem like a good option this time.” She sighed and shook her head. “I guess… I guess I’m here to try and stop you.”   

            “From what”

            “From isolating yourself, from causing yourself so much pain… and in some ways to save my own life. I do quite like existing.”

            “The fact that you’re here-”

            “Not quite, right now the future is in flux. You could choose a path which brings me into existence or we could miss that chance. And since I have the potential to exist, I can exist in this time. I may be very different from the woman you met in that other world, or even the girl you meet if I do exist in your timeline. The future is not quite as certain as you would like to think it is.” She smirked and continued. “Besides, you apparently saw me force myself into existence once before, who’s to say I can’t do it again.” Bruce didn’t respond and glanced at the graves behind her. She moved and let him kneel before them. “They would have loved her you know.”

            “I know.” He answered.

            “Because everyone loves her, you told me that once after a nasty article came out on her. Something about her uniform or maybe a UN policy she voted on, I don’t remember. I stopped reading them after a while. You don’t read them and I’ve always wanted to be like you.” Bruce scoffed. “It’s true. It’s easy to be Mom. To be kind and loving and see the best in people, but it’s also naïve. I wanted to be like you. I wanted to be strong and aware and certain about people. I wanted to understand them completely, in a way she never could. That’s how I can talk to you when no one else can.” He continued to kneel there in silence. “Just tell me why, why won’t you admit that you love her?” 

            “There was never any question that I love her.”

And to this day, he doesn’t know why he responded to her. Maybe it was because she already knew just how much he loved Diana, maybe it was because for once he didn’t have to deal with the consequences right away, maybe he just didn’t want her to blink out of existence right in front of him. She was right, this version of her was different from the one he met before. She was much more Margaret, much less Phoenix than when he knew her before and so much like Diana it hurt. So as easily as releasing the next breath, he’d let those words slip out. Meg turned to him, a wide grin on her face.

            “I know that.” She said with a small smile. “Why won’t you tell her?” He chuckled and looked directly in front of him at his daughter’s namesake.

            “This isn’t a very safe line of work.”

            “You realize you just said you’re trying to protect Wonder Woman from danger.”

            “That’s not what I said.” Bruce sighed and stood up. “I know what it’s like to lose someone, someone you love dearly. And for Diana, it would be even worse. I have no doubt that she can protect herself. But I can’t. I’m going to die one day, that is inevitable,  and the less people who have to carry that the better.”  Margaret raised an eyebrow.

            “Is that really your only problem? Because she’s already in love with you. She’s going to be grieving your death no matter what. And that won’t happen for years. You’re stronger than you think Dad.”

            Being called ‘Dad’ was a bit of a curve ball, but she didn’t seem to notice the slip up or she wasn’t reacting to it. It was strange talking to Batman’s daughter. While he knew he could trust her, he also had to recognize that this was a woman fighting for her very existence. He didn’t know if she would pull every trick she could think of to convince him. He wanted to believe she was there with pure intentions, like Diana would have been, but… he couldn’t be sure. The two of them just sat there for a few more moments. Meg stood up and rested her hand on her grandmother’s tombstone.

            “You know what I think?” She asked, although the question was clearly rhetorical. “I think you’ve planned out every scenario in your head for how this crusade ends and the idea of a wife and children was never one of those endgames. And now that I’m here, now that she’s here, you don’t know what to do about it. So you’re trying to stay on course, trying to stick to one of those endgames you planned for all those years ago. But that doesn’t have to be your life. You don’t have to be alone. You have Dick and Tim and Damien and Barbara and Alfred and you can have her too. You know that; you just have to tell her.” Bruce laid the roses he’d been holding onto the graves, crossed over hers, then stood up. He turned toward Meg. She was smiling at him still, but behind that smile she was scared.

            “I don’t think I can say anything more.” She said quietly and sighed. “I guess I may see you in several years, if you decide that loving her is worth it.” Meg swallowed and then lunged forward and hugged him tightly. Bruce was stunned for a moment but he returned the hug. After a few moments, she pulled away and took a deep breath. “I love you Daddy” She said before walking away and quietly vanishing.

            Bruce looked toward where she’d vanished, then down at the roses she’d left behind, and then at the graves of his family. He rested his hand on his mother’s grave and then turned around and walked back to the car.

            “Did you have a good visit sir?” Bruce cleared his throat and nodded.

            “Insightful” He said. Alfred raised an eyebrow but didn’t pursue the subject.

            “Any other stops before returning to the Manor?” The butler asked.

            “No, thank you.” Bruce said.

* * *

 

            It was two weeks later, two weeks of thinking and pondering before the turning point finally came. It was after an earthquake in San Francisco. Batman, Wonder Woman, and Vixen had spent most of the afternoon helping the rescue and recovery crews. After six hours of solid work, they were called away and new league members came to take their place.

            “I need a long bubble bath and a bottle of wine.” Vixen said, twisting to try to work the kinks out of her back.

            “I just need some food.” Wonder Woman said, wiping her brow.

            “Agreed.” Batman said simply.

            “Shouldn’t you be rushing off to Gotham?” Vixen teased, but Batman shook his head.

            “Nightwing is on patrol tonight.” Vixen raised her eyebrow and smirked at them.

            “Well you kids have fun.” Vixen smiled at them. “J’ohzz, can I get a lift home?” She called up to Watchtower. A few moments later she was teleported away. Diana turned to him.

            “What are you thinking? Burgers, pizza?” Batman looked at her. She was beautiful. Somehow, covered with dirt and sweat and with her tiara slightly off center, she was still the most beautiful woman possible. His heart twitched in his chest. He thought of Meg. He thought of the Older Bruce. He thought of the family he’d accidently created over the years and his parents. He thought of why he started this whole mission, so that people could feel safe raising their families in Gotham. He thought of everything he could have with this woman. He thought of everything he’d lost over the years and how much he just wanted to have her.

            “Why don’t you come back to the manor with me?” There was a few moments of silence, a chance for him to rescind his offer or for her to refuse it.

            “Alright, I think I should go home and shower first. I don’t Alfred would appreciate me in this state.”

            “I’m sure it will be fine.” Bruce said. Diana turned and met his eyes.

            “Are you certain?” She said. They both knew she wasn’t talking about Alfred.

            “Absolutely.”

 

~*~ End of Chapter 4 _~*~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope everyone enjoys the movie and if you're in the states, Happy Early Thanksgiving.


	5. Epilogue

~*~ _3 Years Later ~*~_

**_Bouncing Bab_ _y_ **

**_By: Clark Kent_ **

_Billionaire Bruce Wayne and Ambassador Diana Prince announced the birth of their daughter this past Tuesday evening. The girl was born in the middle of the night at Wayne Manor. “Her name is Alexis.” Bruce told the press gathered at his house Wednesday morning. “Alexis Martha Wayne.” The girl is named after her paternal grandmother. The new Wayne child has been welcomed by member of the Justice League, the business world, and most importantly by her adopted older brothers._

_“We were all excited to see Bruce settle down and especially with someone as great as Diana” Bruce’s ward, Dick Grayson, has said. “I personally can’t wait for the first time Bruce tries to say no to Lexie. There’s no way he’s going to be able to”. The rest of the Wayne family has chosen not to comment; one can only assume they are spoiling their little sister. Pictures of Alexis have yet to be released although so far the reports are that she is adorable and has black hair, to no one’s surprise. Mrs. Prince, also known as Wonder Woman, will be taking some time away from the League._

_“We’re working very closely with Diana to make sure she gets some time away from Wonder Woman. She’s got a real sense of duty, but everyone is in agreement that family comes first. The decision for Diana’s return is ultimately up to her and her doctors, but the League will support her in any way we can.” said Superman. Mr. Wayne will also be taking a leave of absence from his duties as CEO of Wayne Enterprises._

_“My wife and daughter are my biggest concerns at the moment. Once we’re all settled, I’m sure we’ll find a way back into the routine.” According to reports, mother and daughter are both healthy and happy. We here at the Daily Planet wish the Wayne family the very best._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! I hope everyone has enjoyed the story and the JL movie (haven't seen it yet, so please no spoilers!). It's been really great getting back into writing, and I have an idea for another story that I'm going to start writing soon, so stay tuned.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for making it this far! This is my first story on AO3 and my first published story in almost three years so it's really exciting to be back in the game. This story will update every week until it's over. So I hope to see you all back here next week to find out more about Meg and the rest of the team. I really hope y'all like this :)


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